Please join us in congratulating Ruth Bryant, senior undergraduate student and double major in Art History and Biology, who is the recipient of a Research Spotlight Award for her work on “Canal to Cuyahoga: Everlasting Plastics in Context”!

Ruth was selected to present on her project as part of the undergraduate Research Spotlight Contest for the meeting of the Academic Affairs and Student Life Committee (AASL) of the CWRU Board of Trustees.  Ruth delivered a 70 second “elevator speech” of her research, accompanied by a single carefully prepared slide, alongside other undergraduate student researchers.  Ruth shared her experiences as part of the community-engaged learning course, “Issues in 20th/21st century Art: Plastocene Era: Art, Plastics, and the Future of the Planet” (ARTH 392/492) this past spring in collaboration with SPACES gallery, commissioners of the exhibition Everlasting Plastics in the US Pavilion of the Venice Architecture Biennale, curated by Tizziana Baldenebro and Lauren Leving, with Paula Volpato.  Ruth continued her work over the summer as an intern helping to design and implement “Canal to Cuyahoga: Everlasting Plastics in Context,” a symposium and workshops which took place at the Cleveland Museum of Art, as well as Think[box] and Mather House, on Oct. 6 & 7.  With the generous support of a Baker Nord Undergraduate Research Award, Ruth was also able to travel to Venice this summer to view and study from the exhibition in person.

In announcing the Research Spotlight Awards, President Kaler, Interim Provost Ward, and the AASL Committee of the CWRU Board of Trustees shared how impressed they were with the high caliber of the student projects and presentations.

Congratulations!